Damaged scaffolding at the construction site of a parking garage at Haneda airport following the passage of Typhoon Faxai,
Photograph: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images

England’s World Cup quest got off to an inauspicious start amid the chaotic fallout from Typhoon Faxai, with the squad stranded at Narita International Airport for five hours.

Eddie Jones leaves no stone unturned in preparation for the unexpected | Robert Kitson

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Eddie Jones’s group were marooned because of the damage caused by the storm that swept through Tokyo overnight, before eventually moving on with their journey. Winds of 105mph, heavy rain and large waves forced the cancellation of scores of flights and had prompted Australia to push back their arrival, but by the time England landed the stormy weather had passed.

Following an hour-long wait before disembarking from their British Airways plane because of the shortage of buses, they were then told their transfer into Tokyo was unable to reach the airport because of congestion. Main roads feeding Narita – 66km away from the team hotel in Shiodome – are gridlocked because of the destruction caused by the storm, while all trains have been suspended. Haneda Airport, 20km from Tokyo, was operating with only minor delays.

England are heading to Tokyo for one night before departing for a pre-tournament training camp in Miyazaki.

“We are excited to arrive in Japan, it is a great honour and privilege to represent England and we are looking forward to the tournament,” Jones said upon arrival at Narita. “This is a unique World Cup. It’s the first time in a tier-two nation so our ability to adapt quickly will be imperative.

“We used our warm-up games effectively. We were able to experiment with selection and tactics and have developed a solid platform game,” Jones said. “Our ability to adapt to different conditions, different teams and different referees has improved.”